News & Features Archive

Thursday, February 14, 2013

What happens to fish that swim in waters tainted by traces of drugs that people take? When it's an anti-anxiety drug, they become hyper, anti-social and aggressive, a study found. They even get the munchies.
(02/14/2013)

Outgoing Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue has some parting shots for Congress, the White House and advocates for seniors. They have all "really walked away from Social Security," he says, leaving the program "fraying because of inattention to its problems."

The president of the National Congress of American Indians urged the House on Thursday to pass the Violence Against Women Act so Native Americans and Alaska Natives can "protect their own people and surrounding communities against brutality."

President Barack Obama reached out to an online audience Thursday, taking questions on deadly subjects like drones and gun violence while also musing about the anachronism of pennies and the "chill" factor in Hawaii.

It's not uncommon for Mary Jo Copeland to be greeted with bear hugs or hand clapping as she enters a room at Sharing and Caring Hands, the Minneapolis-based nonprofit that provides those in need with everything from food to shelter. The tireless mother of 12 has been touching the lives of the impoverished since she started Sharing and Caring Hands in 1985. Copeland is being recognized Friday by President Barack Obama for the work she has done in the Twin Cities community. Copeland will be awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest civilian honor, for her charitable efforts. We spent a morning with her recently at Sharing and Caring Hands.

Could you live in a home that is less than 1,000 square feet? What about 100 square feet? We'll explore the small house movement and how it's changing the way some people look at their lives architecturally, socially and environmentally.

Minnesota Orchestra musicians have been locked out for five months, with few signs that it will be ending anytime soon. Orchestra President Michael Henson and principal cellist Tony Ross will join us to talk about the state of the negotiations.

Mary Jo Copeland, founder and director of Sharing and Caring Hands, says she is humbled by her choice as a recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal, one of the nation's highest civilian honors. Copeland will receive the award at the White House tomorrow. She spoke with MPR's Tom Crann about her charitable work providing meals and shelter to thousands of people in the Twin Cities every year since 1985.

Motion Picture Association of America Chairman and CEO Chris Dodd speaks at the National Press Club about the movie industry, sex and violence in the movies, internet piracy, and the controversy over torture scenes in the movie, "Zero Dark Thirty."

Today on the MPR News Update: A suspect is charged in the Oakdale shootings, the same sex marriage push has begun at the state Capitol, Gov. Dayton's tax proposal has Minnesota counties crying foul, childhood victims of abuse don't want prosecutions to be limited by time, and the Walker's Internet Cat Video Festival is on the move.

Two independent consultants hired to review the St. Paul Police crime lab found major errors in almost every area of the lab's work. The reports they filed following their reviews were made public Thursday.

Two independent consultants hired to review the St. Paul Police crime lab found major errors in almost every area of the lab's work, including the fingerprint and crime scene evidence processing that has continued after the lab's drug testing was stopped in July.

Passing a farm from one generation to the next is often complicated. Family grudges can get in the way. Medical bills can force a quick sale. Or farmers might not have children to take over. Even if they do, the kids might not be interested in milking cows or driving tractors. The dilemma is heightened when it comes to sustainable farms.

We are many centuries into our species' experiment with love and we still don't have a clue whether it's a matter of luck, a matter of fate, or a conspiracy between the two. We know this: Nothing can affect history the way love can. The love story of Gord and Norma McKinnon, of Rochester, provides but one example.

The number of U.S. homes entering the foreclosure process fell in January to a level not seen since the peak of the housing boom, a consequence of a package of state laws aimed at stemming foreclosures that went into effect in California at the beginning of the year.

One of the country's poorest Native American tribes wants to buy a historically significant piece of land where 300 of their ancestors were killed, but tribal leaders say the nearly $4 million price tag for a property appraised at less than $7,000 is just too much.

Gov. Mark Dayton's sales tax proposal is attracting attention for how it would lower the tax rate but expand it to more services. In addition to people and businesses, the tax changes would apply to cities and counties, which also have to pay the sales tax. Some officials say expanding the sales tax to services would put a dent in their budgets.

The effort to legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota takes center stage today at the State Capitol when supporters gather for a St. Valentine's Day rally aimed at highlighting their cause. Lawmakers are preparing for the anticipated debate, even though actual legislation has not yet been introduced.

South African Paralympic and Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius "has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend," The Associated Press reports from Pretoria. Thirty-year-old Reeva Steenkamp was shot and killed inside Pistorius' home early Thursday, police say.